https://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/ancient-rome/RSS feed for Ancient RomeenTue, 19 May 2026 18:30:58 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-was-this-ancient-roman-soldiers-gravestone-hidden-in-a-louisiana-backyard-archaeologists-solved-the-mystery-and-helped-return-the-artifact-to-italy-180988761/The funerary marker, which surfaced on a New Orleans property last year, once belonged to a Roman soldier who died nearly 2,000 years ago. Officials repatriated the stone in a recent ceremony in RomeTue, 19 May 2026 18:30:58 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-was-this-ancient-roman-soldiers-gravestone-hidden-in-a-louisiana-backyard-archaeologists-solved-the-mystery-and-helped-return-the-artifact-to-italy-180988761/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-fall-of-the-roman-empire-was-less-a-clash-of-civilizations-and-more-an-opportunity-to-mix-and-mingle-a-new-genetics-study-shows-180988699/Researchers who analyzed genomes from early medieval graves in modern-day Germany hypothesize that people from the former Roman Empire formed families with Germanic people soon after the empire fellFri, 08 May 2026 15:54:58 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/the-fall-of-the-roman-empire-was-less-a-clash-of-civilizations-and-more-an-opportunity-to-mix-and-mingle-a-new-genetics-study-shows-180988699/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-souvenir-bowl-may-have-commemorated-an-ancient-roman-soldiers-service-at-hadrians-wall-it-was-discovered-on-a-spanish-farm-1900-years-later-180988665/The artifact is decorated with an illustration of the defensive fortification in northern England, but it was unearthed some 1,200 miles away. A new study suggests the design reflects a soldier’s achievements at the siteMon, 04 May 2026 18:23:56 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-souvenir-bowl-may-have-commemorated-an-ancient-roman-soldiers-service-at-hadrians-wall-it-was-discovered-on-a-spanish-farm-1900-years-later-180988665/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/alexander-the-greats-marble-head-turned-up-in-new-york-us-officials-say-it-was-stolen-and-just-sent-it-back-to-italy-180988650/As part of a longstanding effort to help Italy track down its missing treasures, the U.S. returned hundreds of ancient archaeological finds this weekThu, 30 Apr 2026 20:57:19 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/alexander-the-greats-marble-head-turned-up-in-new-york-us-officials-say-it-was-stolen-and-just-sent-it-back-to-italy-180988650/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-man-fled-pompeii-as-mount-vesuvius-erupted-archaeologists-found-him-2000-years-later-holding-a-bowl-to-protect-his-head-and-a-lamp-to-light-his-way-180988647/Recent excavations revealed two skeletons just outside the ancient city's walls. Researchers also created an A.I.-generated reconstruction of one of the victim's harrowing final momentsThu, 30 Apr 2026 15:10:21 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-man-fled-pompeii-as-mount-vesuvius-erupted-archaeologists-found-him-2000-years-later-holding-a-bowl-to-protect-his-head-and-a-lamp-to-light-his-way-180988647/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-tourist-damaged-florences-fountain-of-neptune-while-attempting-to-grope-its-marble-statue-on-a-dare-180988623/Fixing the fountain’s horse sculptures and frieze will cost nearly $6,000. The alleged offender is the latest tourist to harm artwork in response to peer pressure or in pursuit of social media cloutMon, 27 Apr 2026 17:52:24 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/a-tourist-damaged-florences-fountain-of-neptune-while-attempting-to-grope-its-marble-statue-on-a-dare-180988623/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/these-modern-day-photographs-highlight-why-centuries-later-pompeii-still-attracts-tourists-and-archaeologists-180988611/The eruption of Mt. Vesuvius froze the ancient Roman city in time, giving modern-day humans a remarkable vision into the pastFri, 24 Apr 2026 13:41:10 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/these-modern-day-photographs-highlight-why-centuries-later-pompeii-still-attracts-tourists-and-archaeologists-180988611/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-a-graveyard-of-shipwrecks-between-europe-and-africa-archaeologists-discovered-vessels-doomed-over-thousands-of-years-180988605/The "harbor" of the Strait of Gibraltar is the final resting place for shipwrecks from ancient Rome, the medieval era and World War II, according to a new archaeological surveyFri, 24 Apr 2026 10:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/in-a-graveyard-of-shipwrecks-between-europe-and-africa-archaeologists-discovered-vessels-doomed-over-thousands-of-years-180988605/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-ancient-gods-name-was-mud-archaeologists-discovered-a-water-filled-temple-possibly-tied-to-him-in-egypt-180988581/A structure blending Egyptian, Greek and Roman styles was discovered in the ancient city of Pelusium at the edge of the Nile DeltaTue, 21 Apr 2026 01:59:49 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-ancient-gods-name-was-mud-archaeologists-discovered-a-water-filled-temple-possibly-tied-to-him-in-egypt-180988581/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-does-this-newly-discovered-2000-year-old-stone-slab-depict-a-roman-emperor-as-an-egyptian-pharaoh-180988549/The sandstone monument shows Tiberius standing next to a family of local gods. Archaeologists say the scene illustrates the ruler's role as a leader who upheld cosmic order in Egyptian societyWed, 15 Apr 2026 17:56:07 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/why-does-this-newly-discovered-2000-year-old-stone-slab-depict-a-roman-emperor-as-an-egyptian-pharaoh-180988549/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/born-to-a-family-of-sharecroppers-this-topiary-artist-overcame-discrimination-to-become-the-picasso-of-plants-180988544/Self-taught artist Pearl Fryar, who died this month at age 86, got his start when he tried to win an award from his local garden club. He ended up becoming a celebrity in the horticultural worldTue, 14 Apr 2026 19:44:14 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/born-to-a-family-of-sharecroppers-this-topiary-artist-overcame-discrimination-to-become-the-picasso-of-plants-180988544/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-didnt-expect-to-find-anything-at-this-site-in-england-then-they-stumbled-upon-a-roman-villa-and-a-bronze-artifact-dubbed-norfolk-nessie-180988505/Ahead of wind farm development on Britain's eastern coast, excavations along an underground cable route uncovered the ruins of an ancient farming estate that boasted its own bathhouseWed, 08 Apr 2026 17:47:53 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/archaeologists-didnt-expect-to-find-anything-at-this-site-in-england-then-they-stumbled-upon-a-roman-villa-and-a-bronze-artifact-dubbed-norfolk-nessie-180988505/https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-did-ancient-pompeians-burn-as-offerings-to-their-gods-new-research-reveals-the-surprising-answer-180988467/An analysis of incense burners discovered in the doomed city identified traces of resin imported from sub-Saharan Africa or Asia, testifying to Pompeii's extensive trade networksWed, 01 Apr 2026 18:29:04 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/what-did-ancient-pompeians-burn-as-offerings-to-their-gods-new-research-reveals-the-surprising-answer-180988467/